She first tried the sport at age five while on holiday with her family in Les Gets, France.

Why this sport?

Her family used to go on skiing holidays and encouraged her to take up the sport. In October 2010 she was noticed by a coach at the Chill Factore in Manchester, England, and began training regularly with the British Para Snowsport team. "I loved the feeling of adrenaline running through my body."

Becoming the first British alpine skier to win an overall vision impaired World Cup globe in 2016, and winning bronze in giant slalom at the 2017 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, after recovering from a broken hand. (Athlete, 05 Mar 2018)

She broke her hand after falling during super G training ahead of the 2016/17 season. She required surgery and was unable to train on the snow for eight weeks. (snowsportwales.co.uk, 24 Apr 2017; bbc.co.uk, 25 Jan 2017)

Sporting philosophy / motto

"I love going fast. It is the one thing I always want to be doing." (paralympic.org, 21 Jan 2017)

Awards and honours

In 2018 she was named Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. (paralympic.org, 11 Jun 2018)

She was named Disability Sportswoman of the Year by British newspaper Sunday Times in 2018. (paralympic.org, 02 Nov 2018)

She received the 2017 Inspiring Young Woman Award in England. (inspiringawards.co.uk, 28 Sep 2017)

She received the 2016 Evie Pinching Award, which is given to an athlete who is aged 24 or under and is considered an emerging talent by the Ski Club of Great Britain. (skiclub.co.uk, 31 May 2016)

Milestones

She is the first British Para alpine skier to have won gold at both the Paralympic Winter Games and the world championships. She claimed victory in slalom at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, and then triumphed in downhill at the 2019 World Championships in Slovenia and Italy. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 Feb 2019; paralympic.org, 31 Jan 2019)

In 2016 she became the first British alpine skier to win an overall vision impaired World Cup globe. (snowsportwales.co.uk, 31 Mar 2016)

Impairment

She was born with congenital retinal folds. She has no vision in her left eye and limited vision in her right eye. (mennaandjen.co.uk, 03 Nov 2017)

Other information

TEAMWORKShe and her guide Jennifer Kehoe began competing together in 2015. The pair have developed a close bond due to the amount of time they spend training, as well as the extra work they have to do off the slopes to perfect their communication so that Fitzpatrick gets clear instructions through the bluetooth headset she has in her helmet. Both athletes say their relationship has become almost instinctive, which meant they were still able to secure gold after the bluetooth failed during the slalom event at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. "Every day we are learning something new, testing new skis, skiing on different terrain, snow. All those challenges have added to our experiences and made us better athletes. It's been really good fun to turn what is usually an individual sport into a team sport." (paralympic.org, 29 Nov 2018; telegraph.co.uk, 22 Nov 2018)